"Imagine a place you can always escape to..
An island off the coast of nowhere..
A new destination of your own creation,
Just waiting till you choose to go there.
Blue tree tops and velvet skies..
Blue ready to blow your mind.."
Almost in a trance, Axel stumbles after him, tripping over his own two feet. Reaching out an arm, that's clad in a light brown cloak, he hits the tree where Zexion had gone to. Walking around the side, his eyes grow wide.
Zexion smirked, hat under his arm as he held out a black, nail polished, pale hand. He stood in front of a shimmering veil, light traveling through, to reveal glowing flowers of every colour and shade blooming from mangled black trees and people of all shapes and sizes, shrouded in darkness, top-hats and buns upon their heads, as they danced, hidden, against the bright blue moon, and matching, glowing roses.
Staring at the sight, Axel steps forward, not able to believe his eyes. Taking one glance at Zexion, all fear of what could have been in the darkness, vanishes. Grabbing onto the hand, that leads him through the veil, he holds his breath, waiting for something horrible to come.
Zexion's face was revealed, soft edges were complimented by a beautifully soft smile, and tantalizing lips. His eyes were soft, his gaze.. hidden. His soft, heart shaped face lead way to a strong neck and a tempting stretch of pale skin that revealed a strong collarbone. He chuckled softly, "Axel~.." He purred, whispering, interlacing their fingers.
"Zexion..." he says, breathless. Letting Zexion pull him forward, he only can stare at the twirling people that seem to pay little attention to the two. Snapping his attention back onto what's ahead, Axel tries to sort it all out in his mind, still wondering if it could be a dream, while his body lie on the forest floor, unconscious.
Zexion smirked, standing chest to chest with Axel, he traced the redhead's lips with his thumb before replacing his finger with his lips, kissing the redhead softly. His eyes were apologetic, haunted, as he grabbed Axel's jacket and turned, pushing him through the veil; to fall through the blackness.
Fear fills Axel as the darkness surrounds him, the image of Zexion slowly disappearing. But soon enough, the darkness parts, giving way to the surroundings.
Zexion evaporated, a sad expression tugging at his face, and at his heart, as he appeared at the throne of his court. He traced the plush, rotten purple seating with his fingers as he gazed at the bright, untouched, red plush throne that accompanied him to his left when he sat perched on his throne.
Sitting on a rock, fiddling with a bright blue instrument, bubbles bursting from the strings, sat a tanned-skinned boy, with the oddest-upside down hairstyle, shrouded in black vests, and a forearm length jacket, with fitting black trousers. And there he sat, waiting for the one that was foretold to appear.
All around Axel was what looks like a deep marsh. The veil had sent him straight into the water, not a place he had ever been fond of. Nothing made sense to him anymore. He'd been tricked, or so he thinks. Striding through puddles of water, he can feel his boots sticking in the mud at the bottom. The trees hang down, forcing him to push away moss and wet strewn branches. This place would have been much nicer if it had been a lake...but no...it had to be a marsh. The sound of musical notes float toward Axel's ears, exciting him to no end. Running through the water, which varies in depth, he comes upon that of the musician sitting atop the darkest type of rock, suspended out of the water.
Demyx sat, absorbed in his world of permeable notes, as they floated around him, bursting from the bubbles of his sitar as he sat, swaying to the beats he played, his eyes closed. "I found...myself...In Wonderland..~" He sung softly, whispering, the words carrying through the marsh. He swayed, strumming softly, "Get back on.. my feet...again...Is this real?...Is this...pretend?...~" he hummed.
Axel moves closer, the water still dripping from his red tresses. Curious emerald eyes drift over the blonde, the song he sings forcing Axel's thoughts to run a mile a minute. "Um...Excuse me?" All of a sudden, the music ceases and blue-green orbs snap down at Axel. Waving a hand, he smiles, "Yo, my name's Axel, can you tell me where I am?"
Demyx chuckled, "As brash as always.." He whispered and smiled, waving a hand daintily, "You're upside-down~" He hummed. "Can you stop ~it~? Can you survive?~ Take a stand!" He sung, waving a hand and disappearing in a wave of bubbles. The bubbles drifted, up and up towards a looming, coal black stone castle, the arches, windows, gardens all shaped like broken hearts. The towers, all pointed and shadowed by the blood-red moon, were cracked and crooked, their heart-shaped windows cracked and broken in half. The notion sent chills up Axel's spine as he climbed onto a cobblestone path, littered with oddly coloured purple moss.
Violet roses stem from inky, heart shaped bushes, which line the cobblestone path. The heels of his boots click with every confident step, despite how uneasy he feels on the inside. What that man had been singing about, troubled him to no end. Continuing on the path, he slowly reaches the destination.
A figure stepped into Axel's path, heels clacking lightly as they held a pair of long legs. A pair of slacks adorned pale legs, one trouser leg was the normal length, the other raggedly cut short, giving the impression of an undergarment. Breasts were held in by a black and white corset, that matched the Victorian shoes that the figure adorned. A shocking yellow petite coat hung on thin shoulders, that led to a smooth neck and an edgy face that graced high cheek bones and shocking green eyes. The, now distinguished as a female, figure's hair was pointed, resembling a stinging bee in the summer. And sideways, a top her head, was a top-hat, no more than the size of a teacup. Sticking out were yards of different shockingly styled fabrics that drifted down her back, held in by sewing pins, that poked out from said hat. On her hair-like antennas sat spools of string, suspended by her hair.
Axel flinched. The most shocking feature were the four different sized needles, smallest to biggest, that poked out of her left cheek, her right to him. He flinched, 'Ow'.
She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot and clicking her tongue, as her black-eyeshadow-ed eyes blink.
Gulping slightly, he takes a cautious step back, preparing to run if she makes a move for him. The vicious look on her face tells Axel all he needs to know, not to mess with her. Hoping to distract her from himself, as well as his own eyes from her appearance, he bites his lip. "Hi, I'm Axel. Can you tell me where I am?" he gives a nervous chuckle. "'Cause that one guy didn't tell me squat."
She sneered, rolling her eyes. "That idiot tells no one 'nyth'ng but ri'dles." Her eyes flashed red as bubbles drifted, popping in front of her to reveal a squeaky voice of the caterpillar, the musician. "I- Heard- That-" She screamed, slashing her lightning yellow nails across the bubbles. "Shut 'p, ye' stupid p't he'd!" The bubbles popped, cackling away into the wind.
She sighed, rubbing her face, avoiding the needles by habit. "So you're the on' t'e H'art-'roken Kin' chose..." She smirked, "The colour of blood, 'ou 'nd h'm" She clicked her tongue, turning on her heels, her arms crossing again. " follow' 'e!"
Not quite sure what had just happened, and still stunned by it nonetheless, Axel follows obediently, not wanting to get left behind. He'd much rather follow her, than decode the riddles of the 'caterpillar'. The rest of the way up the path, Axel stays silent, not bothering to spring up a conversation with the woman. In no time at all, they're at the double doors of the castle, carvings of hearts decorating towering doors.
Larxene sighed, banging on the doubles doors with a fist, the needles in her face rattling. She placed a finger on them to stop the vibrations. The rotten, plum purple, blood-red lined doors creaked open to reveal black stone walls and blood red stone floors. Purple and red mixed seamlessly, creating the illusion of one colour, but on closer inspection, it was always two. The broken sky light, in the shape of a heart, let in strands of iridescent blue light from the moon that was high in the sky. Larxene stepped in. Purple smoke -fog- traversed through the door, swirling and clouding the air.
Axel follows her inside, weary of each step he takes, staring up at the moon as he goes. Curiosity seems to build up inside of him, aching to know the full situation of what's going on. But, he keeps his mouth shut, not wanting to anger the dangerous woman in front of him. As he gets further inside, the doors shut behind him, making the walls shudder ever-so-slightly. Glancing back, he searches for figures in the violet smoke. Not able to make any out, he swivels back around, taking long strides to catch up to Larxene.
As the hazy smoke cleared through the crack in the window, a figure shone through, highlighted by the light of the moon. Zexion sat, lounging on the purple-cushioned throne, strewn over the arm rests, sideways, as his boot-clad feet rest lightly against the Red throne. Zexion was dressed in a deep, purple pleated shirt, a dark black dress jacket adorned his shoulders stylishly, as black slacks fitted his legs. Rings of purple, and one of red on his thumb, adorned his fingers, plated with gold like the back rest of his throne. And atop his head, covering his eyes, giving the illusion of sleep, sat a crown. Crusted in silver and gold, jewels of blues, black and purples were encrusted into the purple fabric in the center of his crown. He tapped a black painted finger nail against the arm rest where his back rested, the motion revealing a silver graphic of sorts on his short sleeve shirt that was beneath his jacket.
Axel could only stare as Larxene led him closer. Compared to his simple black slacks, that match his long sleeved shirt, and his light brown cloak ending at his ankles, Axel couldn't help but feel under dressed. He just felt common compared to the one in front of him. The mere sight of the newly dressed Zexion made all the words and thoughts melt away. It was as though the thought of going home, finding out where he is, wanting to know what's going on, didn't dare try to cross his mind again. All because of the male relaxing on the throne. Larxene finally came to a stop, causing Axel to almost trip from having to run into the back of her. That's the last thing he wanted to do.
Larxene kneeled, picking her hat off her head to reveal sewing needles protruding from her scalp, to hold her hat in place. She was like a doll, voodoo, or ball jointed. The thoughts left Axel's mind as Zexion tilted the crown up with a jewel plated finger. Lust-glazed, hazy purple eyes were revealed, a smirk pulling against his pale, plump lips, the action lifting his lips to reveal white, pointed canines as his hair fell to softly graze his cheeks and cover half his face. His eyes locked with Axel, Zexion's hands freezing from lifting his crown. His lips moved, whispering a word to soft to reach Axel's ears.
Axel feels his lips curving into a smile, unable to resist. Standing there, he sees the kneeling Larxene, but can't find it in himself to care. Stepping around her, making sure he's out of reach so she can't grab him, Axel walks up to the quartet of stairs leading to the thrones. Seeing only Zexion, Axel's stomach burns, heart leaping into his throat, "You're a King?" the only words he can form from his jumbled thoughts, uttered before he realized they left his lips.
Zexion let a soft smile pull at his lips, not one of his usual smirks that is found on his countenance. "Prince." He purred, his eyes bore into Axel's, trying to convey a silent message. He waved a hand at the Red throne. "My betrothed died long ago; fell to the mortal world." He sneered as he spat the word 'mortal'. Sighing, he tried to calm himself, his broken heart yearning for the one who once sat upon the Red throne.
Axel's brows draw together, attempting to decode all that the beautiful prince has said, the riddles from that man, the accented words from the doll like woman. Sighing heavily, he realizes he can't figure one thing out, one thing that doesn't make the least bit of since to himself. "But...My name's Lea..." he says in a soft murmur, mostly to himself.
Zexion's eyes shot to meet Axel's eyes, his eyes wide. Larxene's head snaps up, gasping as Zexion launches up out of his seat, rushing over to Axel and grabbing his head in his hands, the crown falling lopsided on his head. He pulled Axel down, orbs boring into the redhead's, as he ran his thumbs over Axel's unmarred cheeks. His eyes watered, lip quivering softly, "L-Lea?...L-Lea? P-Please...Tell me you remember me! You have come this far! Please! Tell me you remember!" All traces of that seductive smirk were gone, the lust-induced gaze replaced by a look of the most gut-wrenching heartbreak and longing.
As those eyes pierce into him, Axel does his best to recall ever seeing Zexion before. The thought of this amazing creature being upset horrifies him, all he would want is for Zexion to be happy. Not that he can remember ever being with him. A frown decorates Axel's lips, giving the tell-tale sign that he can't, with all his might, recall the memories that the other wished of him to remember. Bringing up slender pale fingers, Axel ghosts them over Zexion's cheek, wanting so badly to tell the smaller that he remembers. But the lie would only hurt him more.
Zexion tore away from Axel, grabbing the crown a top his head and chucking it at the castle wall. Larxene gasped, quickly reaching for the crown, grasping it in her fingers and pulling it to her chest. She stroked the fabric, glaring. "Down with the bloody Red King!"
Zexion turned his glare unto her, sneering. "How dare you! Off with your head it shall be if you dare speak of that treason again!" She glared, stepping down into submission. Zexion pulled at his hair, storming up to the throne and punching it with a fist. The throne did not move.
"No! No! No!" His voice took on a haunted, croaking tone. "No! You have to be! I spent years!" He tugged at his hair. "I've searched! You look like him, have his mannerisms! Even his personal signature that drags him back to this god-forsaken place!" He slashed a hand, nails elongating slightly. "That drags him back to Wonderland!" He screams with distaste.
Gritting his teeth, Axel watches as Zexion's temper falls out of whack. Something in the back of his mind sparks, but it's as though the tiny flame is too far away for his mental hands to reach. Not wanting to see the other in such a state, Axel puts everything aside. Memories or no memories. Truth or no truth. He can't stand to see Zexion in such disorder.
Striding forward, Axel catches Zexion's wrist, pulling Zexion back against his chest. Wrapping arms around his torso, he places a soft kiss on his cheek, not wanting to let him go, else he tear everything and everyone to shreds, especially himself.
Zexion's whole demeanor changed, his whole body melting against Axel's. "Leave." He croaked, Larxene nodded, and standing up, she placed the crown at Zexion's feet.
Hugging him close, Axel can't help but smile, not only at his accomplishment, but because he realizes how much he does love the one in his arms. Zexion let a small smile grace his lips as exhaustion sweeps through his bones. Lea was home, his job was done. Now it was up to him, Axel, to bring his Lea back.
Taking great care, Axel moves Zexion back to his throne, letting the other collapse into it. Not seeing anywhere other to sit, Axel plops down onto the crimson cushion. Placing his elbows on the armrest, Axel reaches over to grab Zexion's hand. "I want to remember." he states, the words coming from deep inside of himself.
Zexion's eyes were wide, his body tense, his hand shaking as he gazed, openly terrified, at the Red Throne. How did he not burst into flames? How did vines not shoot out and curl around him, growing through every orifice? Unless.. He really was Lea. The throne.. Must of realized his signature?.. Zexion's body shook violently.
Concerned for the other, Axel tilts his head to the side, not quite understanding what could be wrong this time. He had done nothing wrong, not that he was aware of. Smiling, Axel squeezes Zexion's hand. "Why don't you come to the mortal world with me for a little while? Just so you can get away from everything. Live in the light of day for a change?"
Zexion quickly shook his head, jerking his hand away from Axel as if he was on fire. "No! No! You are here now! Everything will fall back into-" and with the final word, he stood, swinging his leg back and kicking the crown that was placed on the floor. "- PLACE!"
Jumping up from his own seat, Axel enfolds his arms around Zexion's frame, kissing the smaller's earlobe. "It's okay...I'm...not going anywhere. I'll stay here with you." Trying to calm the slate haired male down, he pulls Zexion into his lap as he falls back into the Red throne. Pecking the others cheek, Axel smiles sincerely. "I'll never leave you."
Zexion hung his head, hair falling over his eyes as he watched the bright blue moon of the night fade to purple as it meshed with the Red of the morning Sun. "I.." He stood, pulling himself out of Axel's arms. They felt.. They felt so much like Lea's.. "I have to go, the Hatter will be your shelter for your stay here in.. in Wonderland." He whispered the name, clenching his eyes shut. He turned, quickly rushing out of the room as Larxene sauntered in, two men standing tall beside her as a third walked in from a door behind the thrones.
Axel's outstretched arm falls back into his lap. Sighing, he stands up, slightly weary of Larxene, as well as the others.
"Imagine a room where the flowers they bloom,
Through the cracks in the floor and the ceiling..
Just you and the missus and roses and kisses.
My, what a wonderful feeling..
This is a place where your mind can escape,
All the problems today and go far, far away..
This is a time with no history!
Feel no misery!..
Come and visit me,
Welcome to mystery.."